Campaign Update

Ending Florida’s medical bill nightmare

Since we launched EndSurpriseMedicalBills.org, over 1,730 of you have shared your surprise medical bill stories and collectively, your bills add up to over $8.7 million. And now a handful of states are proposing their own fixes. We’ve teamed up with the consumer health advocacy organization, Florida CHAIN, to make sure Florida residents get the protections they deserve. We asked for your surprise medical bill stories and we heard you loud and clear: Florida residents are sick and tired of getting big bills for care that they thought would be covered by their insurance.

And Floridians are taking action! More than 1,000 actions were taken by our Florida activists in support of legislation that makes sure you only pay in-network prices if you go to an in-network hospital on your insurance — especially for emergency care. You aren’t just emailing your state reps, you’re showing up at their offices! Because of your overwhelming support, legislators and special interests felt the pressure to move Florida House bill (HB 221) out of the House Appropriations Committee. The next step for this bill is another committee, and we need you to speak out to help this bill inch closer to passage. And we still have a Senate bill (SB 1442) that needs your support to move forward.

It’s going to be a tough fight, but we’re hopeful we can make a difference this year. Special interests prefer to keep things the way they are – and stick you with big medical bills. Because of loopholes in Florida law, there is no guarantee that an ‘in-network’ hospital on your insurance will use in-network doctors and labs. That means you could get stuck paying for expensive ‘out-of-network’ care from providers who you rightly thought were covered.

Florida lawmakers can close these loopholes, and make sure your insurance works when you need it the most. But as sensible as this legislation sounds, some lawmakers are on the fence because they are getting pressure from doctor groups and their big-time lobbyists.

We need Florida residents to speak out now to get this bill moving. State lawmakers rarely hear directly from voters, so your message now will have a big impact.

Click here to find out if your Senator is on the Banking and Insurance Committee. If they are, click here to email your Florida legislator, and help get this important reform moving. We’re grateful for people like Nancy from Fort Myers, Florida, who met with her Senator this week to demand surprise medical bill protections be passed this year. We need more people like Nancy!

Hundreds of Floridians have shared their surprise medical bill stories. Share your story today so we can be sure that lawmakers listen.